ANNAPOLIS, Md. (3/4/2007)—Fourth-seeded American University held Colgate University to 20 second-half points to earn a 68-45 victory in the Patriot League Tournament Semifinal. Nicole Ryan led the Eagles with 15 points as they stopped Colgate’s tournament run to advance to their second Patriot League Tournament Championship.

 

Colgate ends its season with a 6-25 record as American moves on with a 13-18 mark.

 

Junior Caitlin Gillard (Vestal, N.Y.) led the Raiders with 15 points, while senior Carly Brescacin (Tecumseh, Ontario) and freshman TaHara Williams (Mason, Ohio) scored seven points apiece. Brescacin also dished out three assists and grabbed two steals. Sophomore Gretchen Polinski (Mansfield, Ohio) led the team on the boards with a game-high seven rebounds.

 

The first half was an evenly fought battle as the teams were tied four times and traded leads six times. Neither team led by more than five points during the opening 20 minutes.

 

The Raiders jumped in front at the start, 6-2, before American scored six straight for its first lead of the game at the 15:18 mark. Colgate answered with five answered for a 12-8 lead and the Eagles dropped in nine straight for the biggest lead of the game, 17-12.

 

Colgate battled back to tie the game at 21 and the teams traded leads in the final three minutes to head into the break tied at 25 apiece.

 

The Raiders got the first bucket in the second half to go in front 27-25, but it was all American for the next six-minute stretch as the Eagles went on a 14-0 run to take a 39-27 advantage. American held Colgate to just five points in the first 7:45 of the second frame.

 

Colgate scored five straight points to pull within eight points, but that would be as close as the Raiders would get as American got Colgate into early foul trouble. The Eagles stretched their lead to as many as 22 points with another big 14-2 run over a six-minute span. Pam Stanfield scored seven points for American during that stretch. 

 

The American defense continued to keep the clamps on the Colgate offense, cruising to the 68-45 victory. The Eagles held the Raiders to just six points in the final 7:51 and allowed just nine field goals in the second half, holding Colgate to 30 percent shooting.

 

Liz Hayes and Stephanie N’Garsanet both added 11 points apiece, while Pam Stanfield scored 10 points. Hayes also gave out a game-high five assists. Abby Lipskis pulled down five rebounds for the Eagles.